In recent years, companies implementing “return to office” mandates have discovered that simply “forcing” employees back into the office doesn’t work. Employees in all industries have experienced the benefits of flexible work, and they’re keen to retain those advantages.
This means business leaders need to build office experiences that entice employees back into the workplace, delivering environments that foster collaboration, and productivity. A successful strategy requires a comprehensive approach to building collaborative spaces with the right AV technology, software, and integrations that empower every type of employee.
Here’s how business leaders can ensure their office spaces not only empower and engage staff members, but encourage them to spend more time within the workplace.
Eric Bixler, National Director of AV Solutions, Global Video Collaboration Division, New Era Technology says “'Earn the Commute’ continues to be an underlying goal of Business leaders as they reimagine their office spaces. It is crucial that organizations take a moment of self-reflection on how their team members meet and collaborate today. How big are their teams and work groups? What information are they sharing, and how is it accessed? And does how they do it today represent how they want to do it tomorrow?”
Step 1: Assess Your Current Environment
The first step in designing effective collaboration spaces for the modern workplace, is analysis. You’ll need to conduct a detailed assessment of your workplace, and the spaces and technologies you already have, to determine what you need to retain, and what you need to upgrade and optimize.
Look at how team members currently use collaborative spaces. Are your teams regularly reliant on focus spaces and smaller huddle rooms where they can interact with remote colleagues? Do you host a lot of larger meetings, and group training sessions in meeting rooms?
What technologies do your staff members regularly use during collaborative sessions, such as microphones, touchscreen displays, webcams for video conferencing, and similar tools? Will the existing resources you have be suitable as the number of people in your workforce grows, or do you need to invest in new systems?
Assessing your current resources will help you to set goals for your design process, and determine which challenges your employees currently have, that need to be addressed.
Step 2: Assess Essential Requirements
Once you have a clear view of the resources you already have, the size of your collaboration spaces, and the types of employees you’re going to be supporting, it’s time to identify what you need to invest in. During this process, it’s helpful to gather insights from members of your team, asking them about the resources that would improve their office experience. Consider:
- Hardware requirements: Do you need to invest in new devices to empower your teams, such as digital whiteboards and displays? How can you improve the meeting room experience by managing acoustics, lighting, and other factors with technology?
- Software and integrations: Which software solutions should employees be able to instantly access in meeting rooms? Should they be able to switch seamlessly between Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex or Zoom? Do they need these tools to integrate with other resources?
- Access management and security: How will you manage and secure your meeting rooms, with identity and access management solutions, room booking software, and tools that allow you to remotely update and optimize technologies?
Step 3: Prioritize Equity of Experience
Ensuring you provide users with an excellent experience in collaboration spaces is crucial for a few reasons. The better the experience you give to your employees, the more satisfied they’ll feel in the office, making your “return to office” strategy more likely to be a success.
Additionally, excellent user experience helps to improve adoption rates, ensuring your team members actually use the solutions you invest in. With this in mind, consider how you can improve experiences for your team members. Can you allow employees to choose which meeting room software and devices they use, giving them the flexibility to jump between resources without losing functionality?
